There are other worthy nominees that I would like to see go on to win Oscars another year. Robert Downey Jr. was a refreshingly good choice to see honored for his comical method acting satire through method acting in Tropic Thunder. Josh Brolin has been on a roll with consistently great work in No Country for Old Men, W. and now his nominated role in Milk. Philip Seymour Hoffman from Doubt is, of course, a past winner already and is never known for giving a dishonest performance. The only nomination I really question is that of Michael Shannon, as I am not usually in favor of the brief “scene-stealing” character that is compellingly played to be sure but is not necessarily a larger, crucially supporting drive to the overall film (although I do hope the nod opens the door for an accomplished stage actor like Shannon to make a more lasting mark in film). But this is Heath Ledger’s year and he earns the award, posthumous or not.
Prediction: Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
Preference: Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Now we arrive at the category that is the toughest of all to predict. No bona fide precursor wins to go on, since Kate Winslet from The Reader is no longer in this race anymore. That may leave Penelope Cruz as the front runner for her work as the sultry, jealous ex-wife in Vicky Cristina Barcelona but I am not sure that is so clean-cut despite that she has the BAFTA.
I am going to go on a bit of a whim and predict Viola Davis for Doubt. Despite her limited screen time in the film as the mother of the only African-American student in a 1964 Catholic school, her character transcends it and opens up a whole other perspective to the story that not only stuns Streep’s character but shows her unusual yet unusually strong maternal love adjusting to the unfair familial conditions and racial prejudice of the time. The role has made a strong impression with audiences on film, as it did on stage, and considering that hard-working character actors like Richard Jenkins and Melissa Leo may lose out on Oscar night in the leading categories, this might be the Academy’s way to award at least one in Davis here and also at least one of the four acting nods for Doubt. Davis is certainly a good choice as her performance is not just a scene-stealing role but one valuably contributing to the arc of the story.
![The Curious Case of Benjamin Button [Theatrical Release]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51lR-IXa8wL._SL120_.jpg)
![Frost/Nixon [Theatrical Release]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41M9MZS0sgL._SL120_.jpg)
![The Reader [Theatrical Release]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41Nca8H1tNL._SL120_.jpg)
Article comments
1 - handyguy
Milk a conventional biopic?? Too lionizing of its subject? I think you saw a different movie than I. Harvey Milk's political machinations [not always pretty] and his questionable taste [in at least one case] in boyfriends provide a fair amount of the movie's plot.
Both Milk [Gus Van Sant] and Benjamin Button [David Fincher] are brilliantly and innovatively directed by two of the best filmmakers now working.
Slumdog is entertaining, and also extremely well directed, but it's a bit predictable and manipulative and superficial, eh? I agree it's likely to win, but then, so did Crash and A Beautiful Mind and other movies that were far from their years' best.
2 - Jordan Richardson
I didn't like Benjamin Button at all, but I'm pretty sure it'll scoop the top prize. The BAFTA's aren't all that good of an indication, as Atonement was the big winner there last year.
I do like Slumdog Millionaire quite a bit and prefer it to any of the nominees. Frost/Nixon would be my second choice.
Agree on Melissa Leo as Best Actress, she was incredible and that whole film was excellent. I would rather have seen Winslet get nominated for Revolutionary Road. Surprised at the Jolie nomination, really, and annoyed that Sally Hawkins wasn't nominated.
Also hoping for a Mickey Rourke Oscar win. Actually, I'm pretty much hoping for anyone but Brad Pitt. I have a sneaking suspicion that Pitt will win it, though.
ALL of the Best Supporting Actor nominees were great this year. No way Ledger doesn't win, though. Best Supporting Actresses were all also excellent, but I'd like to see Penelope Cruz pull this one off. It's a longshot, but I think she was superb.
Best animated flick is WALL-E even though Kung-Fu Panda was also excellent.
Best director should go to Danny Boyle, although I'd rather have seen nominations for Mike Leigh, Sam Mendes, Darren Aronofsky, Tomas Alfredson, Werner Herzog, and Woody Allen (I know, I know...I live in a dream world).
Best documentary (and one of the absolute BEST films of the year) is Herzog's Encounters at the End of the World. Best foreign language film will probably be Waltz with Bashir, although the best movie of 2008, Let the Right One In, should have been nominated. To me, that's the biggest oversight at this year's Oscars.
Adapted screenplay should go to Doubt, while original screenplay should go to Happy-Go-Lucky.
3 - John
I agree with you that "Let the Right One In" was one of the best films last year but unfortunately it was not the official submission from Sweden to the Best Foreign Language Film category (as per policy, there is only one allowed for submission and it was "Everlasting Moments," which did not end up getting nominated). I would have liked to see the movie at least get recognized for Best Adapted Screenplay (and it is better than any of the actual nominees in the category) but the Academy did not have enough reach for that.
4 - Jordan Richardson
Ah, I knew there had to be a reason. Thanks for clearing that up, John!